Director of British Museum steps down amid controversy over thefts of ancient items

By BRIAN MELLEY
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — The director of the British Museum says he’s stepping down immediately amid investigations into the theft or disappearance of hundreds of items from its massive collection, including gold jewelry, semi-precious gems and antiquities dating to the 15th century B.C. Hartwig Fischer says he’s resigning now, rather than waiting until next year, as he had originally planned. He says his presence has become a distraction after questions were raised recently about whether the museum took warnings of the thefts seriously. Two years ago, an art dealer contacted museum officials to report that he suspected items from the collection were being peddled online.